MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Miami-Dade man arrested in Texas for an armed sexual battery charge is now accused of plotting to murder the victim while he awaited trial at the Metrowest Detention Center, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
Miami-Dade police said 43-year-old Carlos Alberto Mendez, was extradited back to Miami-Dade County, where he now faces additional charges of solicitation to commit murder and tampering with a firearm after allegedly plotting to kill the victim of his original crime while in jail.
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Mendez was initially charged with armed sexual battery following an alleged attack on a 44-year-old woman, according to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Authorities said after the alleged assault took place, Mendez fled Florida in hopes of evading capture. However, U.S. Marshals located him in Texas, where he was arrested and brought back to Miami-Dade County.
In early August, while awaiting trial at the MWDC, Mendez was accused of devising a plan to murder the victim to avoid further prosecution.
Investigators said Mendez confided in another inmate, who would later serve as a key witness in the case. Desperate to avoid the potential of spending the rest of his life in prison, Mendez allegedly sought assistance from the inmate in orchestrating the murder, according to his arrest report.
Authorities said Mendez would ask the inmate if he knew someone who could help eliminate the victim, thus removing the key witness in his sexual battery case.
He provided detailed information about the victim’s daily routine, including where she lived, worked, and parked her vehicle, as well as how she could be approached without attracting attention, investigators said.
According to the witness, Mendez’s initial suggestion was to strangle the victim using a jacket she kept on the passenger seat of her car. However, authorities said the two ultimately agreed on using a handgun as the method of murder. Mendez allegedly told the inmate that he would arrange for a family member to provide $1,500 to purchase the gun, authorities said.
Miami-Dade police said the witness provided investigators with an account of Mendez’s routine and habits, which corroborated with his statement.
Additionally, police found and confiscated maps drawn by Mendez, which they said detailed the victim’s home, parking location and specific approaches that could be used to reach her without being seen.
With the addition of solicitation to commit murder to his armed sexual battery charge, Mendez remains at the MWDC, where he is being held without bond following a prior arrest warrant.